Curtain assembly



Dec. 31, 1963 w. H. NovALL-:s

CURTAIN ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1.6, 1961 INVENToR: WML/AM /VOl/S A fram/ys Dec. 31, 1963 w. H. NovALEs CURTAIN ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1961 INVENTORI By WML/AM A. Alm/Aus "gew Ylf United States Patent O 3,116,097 CURTAHN ASSEMBLY William H. Noi/aies, San Francisco', Calif. (138i) Yerba Bueno, Emeryville, Calif.) Filed May 16, 1961, Ser. No. 110,562 6 Claims. (Cl. S12-297) This invention relates in general to a curtain assembly for an opening and more particularly to alight and/ or dust-tight curtain assembly which may be raised and lowered in the fashion of a conventional window shade.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for sealing an opening to light and/ or airborne particles.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a curtain assembly of the type aforementioned which utilizes a grooved member at either edge of the curtain and guides mounted on the curtain, but is so constructed that the curtain may be rolled about an ordinary cylindrical curtain rod without difficulty.

`Other objects and advantages of this invention, if not specifically set forth, will become apparent during the course of the description which follows.

lIn the drawings:

FIGURE yl is a fragmentary perspective view showing the roller, guide and groove assembly mounted on a window frame.

FiGU'RE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing portions of the structure exhibited in FIGURE l.

-FXGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan View showing the curtain and its accompanying guide member.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view similar to :FIG- URE 3 but showing the guide member in such a position that it forms a T with the curtain and rides in the groove provided therefor.

FIGURE 5 represents a modified embodiment of the invention wherein the curtain is mounted on shelving and portions of the upright supports of the shelving serve as the grooved members.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the center of the shelving showing cooperation of a grooved upright and a curtain having a guide secured thereto.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged -fragmentary sectional view showing the manner of mounting the curtain roller on the shelving of FIGURES 5 and 6.

-FiGURE 8- is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner of securing the guides to wire cloth.

Turning now to the drawings wherein like characters refer to like parts throughout, in FIGURE 1 there is seen a window frame 10, at the top of which is secured a pair of brackets 12 in which is journalled the roller 14. Secured to the roller is the curtain 16; the roller may be fitted with a spring in the conventional manner so as to permit the curtain to be rolled about the rod with ease and also with a suitable stop mechanism, not shown, to prevent the curtain from freeing itself from the guides to be described hereinafter. Parallel members 18 extending the entire length of the window `are secured along either longitudinal edge of the curtain 16 to the frame 1%. Each of the iframe members consists of a flange 20 which may be screwed to the window frame, and a grooved claw-shaped member 22. The T-shaped groove 24 is provided with a narrow mouth 26, as especially seen in FIGURE 4, and with an lintegral rectangular receptacle area in which the guides 28 which are secured to the curtain 16 may ride.

A critical feature of the invention is the provision of means for pivoting the guide 28 into either of the two positions shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The interior portions 29 of the guides themselves are conveniently about 1/8 in width, 1/04" in thickness, and are formed of a ICC flexible fibre or synthetic material, a fairly heavy self-sustaining nylon material being preferred. 4Each portion 29 of each guide is enveloped on all sides by a sheet of flexible synthetic material or cloth 30, conveniently of a thickness of about .@0781, which is then sewn or otherwise -secured to the curtain 16 in the area 31. If the curtain is of about 1,64 thickness, it will be seen that the guide may be folded in the manner shown in FiG- URE 3 so as to lie in the same plane as the cloth, with the total thickness of the guide and attached supporting material being not substantially greater than the thickness of the curtain itself. That is, the guide 23 may be folded upon the flexible material 36 in this manner and the total thickness kept below an acceptable maximum provided that the guide 2S is spaced from the curtain 16' a distance at least as great as one-haf the width of the guide. Thus, after the guide has been folded over, as seen in `FIGURE 3, it will not overlap the curtain. Thus, as the curtain and guides are wrapped about the roller 14, bulges will not be formed at either end of the roller. If the receptacle 24 is of a thickness of about %2, it will be seen that it is not possible for the 1/s" wide guide Z3 to pivot Within the receptacle so as to attain the position shown in FIGURE 3 from which it can be pulled through mouth 26. As seen especially in =FIG URE 2, a critical feature of the invention is the use of guide material which is sufficiently flexible that it may be twisted at point 23a immediately after it emerges from the groove 24, thus to change from the position seen in plan view FIGURE 4 to the position shown in plan view 'FIGURE 3.

FIGURES 5 through 7 show a second embodiment of the invention wherein the curtain is mounted on a set of shelves, the curtain being shown in a partially drawn position and only one of two or more being shown. The chief departure from the structure shown in FIGURES 1 4 may be lbest seen in FIGURE 6, which is a plan view of a fragment of the centermost upright 32. This post is conveniently formed of extruded aluminum and is provided with T-shaped lgrooves 33 at either side thereof, the upright 32 continuing to serve its function as a sup- Iport for the shelves. The support is provided with backwardly extending flanges 34 to which the shelves may be bolted or otherwise secured in any conventional manner.

IFIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from one side of the structure of FiGURE 5, the roller 14 being provided with a shield 35 which is mounted upon the toprnost plate 36 of shelving.

Previous discussion has been confined to curtains formed o-f cloth or such a synthetic material as du Pont Fairprene No. 72-011, a suitable elastomer material. It is also possible to utilize a curtain formed of aluminum, bronze, stainless steel, galvanized metal, or sheet steel having a baked enamel finish, for it is possible to form the curtain entirely of a wire cloth material. When this is done, it is `convenient to secure the guide Z9 directly to the curtain material 3S by means of wires 4t) braz/ed to the curtain and extending therefrom to pass through holes in the guides, as shown in FIGUR-E 8. The aforementioned pivoting action is still obtained and this is the most essential feature of the invention.

It is seen that this invention makes possible light and/ or dust-tight curtain assemblies for both shelves and window openings, While `eliminating the bulges on either end of the rollers when the curtains are rolled up, a matter which has made impossible the use of guides integral with curtains to be secured in grooves mounted about openings to be sealed.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and there-fore only such limitations 3 should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A curtain assembly comprising a pair of parallel members suitable for being positioned opposite and parallel to one another along opposite edges of an opening, a roller for mounting at one end of each of said parallel members and bridging the distance therebetween; a ilexible curtain secured to said roller and adapted to be rolled thereabout, said curtain being of sufficient length, when unrolled to the maximum extent, to close said opening, said curtain having a longitudinal edge extending parallel and adjacent to each of said parallel members; a guide secured along substantially the entirety of each longitudinal edge of said curtain, each of said guides being pivotally secured to its respective adjacent longitudinal edge of the said curtain, said guides being of a flexible self-sustaining material, each of said guides being of a thickness not in excess of that of said curtain, each of said guides being mounted so as to be capable of being p-ivoted to form, with said curtain, the topmost portion of a T and being capable of being pivoted to lie in the same plane as the said curtain; and a groove in each of the said parallel members adjacent the longitudinal edges of said curtain, said guides being mounted for sliding movement therein, each groove being in the form of a T, each of the said grooves having a mouth sufficiently narrow to prevent said guides from being removed therefrom when said guide is positioned relative to said curtain to form a T therewith, each of the said guides being spaced from the said curtain a distance at least as great as one-half the width of the said guide, each of the said guides being secured to said longitudinal edge of the said curtain by flexible material of a thickness substantially less than that of the said curtain.

2. A curtain and window assembly comprising: a frame enclosing a window on all four sides; a roller mounted at the top of said frame; a pair of parallel members mounted on either side of said frame; a flexible curtain secured to said roller and adapted to be rolled thereabout, said curtain being of sufficient length, when unrolled to the maximum extent, to close said opening, said curtain having a longitudinal edge extending parallel and adjacent to each of said parallel members; a guide secured along substantially the entirety of each longitudinal edge of said curtain, each of said guides being pivotally secured to its respective adjacent longitudinal edge of the said curtain, said guides being of a flexible self-sustaining material, each of said guides being of a thickness not in excess of that of said curtain, each of said guides being mounted so as to be capable of being pivoted to form, with said curtain, the topmost portion of a T and being capable of being pivoted to lie in the same plane as the said curtain; and a groove in each of the said parallel members adjacent the longitudinal edges of said curtain, said guides being mounted for sliding movement therein, each groove having a mouth sufficiently narrow to prevent said guides from being removed therefrom when said guide is pivoted to form said T, each of the said guides being spaced from the said curtain a distance at least as great as one-half the width of the said guide, each of the said guides being secured to said longitudinal edge of the said curtain by flexible material of a thickness substantially less than that of the said curtain.

3. A shelving assembly comprising open-front shelves having a pair of end walls and at least a single intermediate dividing wall; a pair of rollers mounted at the top of said shelves, said rollers being longitudinally spaced in an end-to-end relationship, said rollers bridging the entire distance between the said end walls of the said shelves; parallel members secured at the forward-most edges of each of the said end and dividing walls; a flexible curtain secured to each of said rollers, adapted to be rolled thereabout, and of sufiicient length that, when unrolled to the maximum, the open front of said shelves may be closed entirely, each of said curtains having a longitudinal edge extending parallel and adjacent to each of the said parallel members; a guide secured along substantially the entirety of each longitudinal edge of each of said curtains, each of said guides being pivotally secured to its respective longitudinal curtain edge, whereby each of said guides may form a T with said curtain or may be pivoted to lie in the same plane as the said curtain, said guides being of a flexible, self-sustaining material, each of said guides being of a thickness not in excess of the thickness of the said curtain secured thereto; grooves in each of said parallel members mounted at the forward-most edges of each of the said end walls; two opposed grooves in each of said members on the forward-most edges of each of the said intermediate walls, all of the grooves having mouths sutiiciently narrow to prevent said guides from being removed therefrom when said guides are positioned to form a T relative to the said curtain, said guides being mounted for sliding movement in said grooves, each of the said guides being spaced from the said curtain a distance at least as great as one-half the width of the said guide, each of the said guides being secured to said longitudinal edge of the said curtain by exible material of a thickness substantially less than that of the said curtain.

4. A curtain assembly comprising a pair of parallel members suitable for being positioned opposite and parallel to one another along opposite edges of an opening, a roller for mounting at one end of each of said parallel members and bridging the distance therebetween; a flexible curtain secured to said roller and adapted to be rolled thereabout, said curtain being of sulilcient length, when unrolled to the maximum extent, to close said opening, said curtain having a longitudinal edge extending parallel and adjacent to each of said parallel members; a guide secured along substantially the entirety of each longitudinal edge of said curtain, each of said guides being pivotally secured to its respective adjacent longitudinal edge of the said curtain, said guides being of a flexible self-sustaining material, each of said guides being of a thickness not in excess of that of said curtain, each of said guides being mounted so as to be capable of being pivoted to form, with said curtain, the topmost portion of a T and being capable of being pivoted to lie in the same plane as the said curtain, each of the said guides being spaced from the said curtain a distance at least as great as onehalf the width of the said guide, each of said guides being secured to said longitudinal edge of the said curtain by a flexible material of a thickness substantially less than that of the said curtain; and a groove in each of the said parallel members adjacent the longitudinal edges of said curtain, said guides being mounted for sliding movement therein, each groove having a mouth suiiiciently narrow to prevent said guides from being removed therefrom when said guide is positioned relative to said curtain to form a T therewith.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein two thicknesses of the said flexible material and the thickness of the said guide together are not substantially in excess of the thickness of the said curtain.

6. A curtain assembly comprising a pair of parallel members suitable for being positioned opposite and parallel to one another along kopposite edges of an opening, a roller for mounting at one end of each of said parallel members and bridging the distance therebetween; a ilexible curtain secured to said roller and adapted to be rolled thereabout, said curtain being of suiiicient length, when unrolled to the maximum extent, to close said opening, said curtain having a longitudinal edge extending parallel and adjacent to each of said parallel members; a guide secured along substantially the entirety of each longitudinal edge of said curtain, each of said guides being pivotally secured to its respective adjacent longitudinal edge of the said curtain, said guides being of a flexible self-sustaining material, each of said guides being of a thickness not in excess of that of said curtain, each of said guides being mounted so as to be capable of being pivoted to form, with said curtain, the topmost portion of a T and being capable of being pivoted to lie in the same plane as the said curtain, said guides each being spaced from said curtain by a distance at least as great as one-half the Width of the said guides, said guides each being secured to said longitudinal edges of the said curtain by Wires secured to the said curtain, said wires being of a thickness substantially less than that of the said curtain; and a groove in each of the said parallel members adjacent the longitudinal edges of said curtain, said guides being mount- References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Solomon Mar. 12, 1901 Thomas May 16, 1944 

4. A CURTAIN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL MEMBERS SUITABLE FOR BEING POSITIONED OPPOSITE AND PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG OPPOSITE EDGES OF AN OPENING, A ROLLER FOR MOUNTING AT ONE END OF EACH OF SAID PARALLEL MEMBERS AND BRIDGING THE DISTANCE THEREBETWEEN; A FLEXIBLE CURTAIN SECURED TO SAID ROLLER AND ADAPTED TO BE ROLLED THEREABOUT, SAID CURTAIN BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH, WHEN UNROLLED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT, TO CLOSE SAID OPENING, SAID CURTAIN HAVING A LONGITUDINAL EDGE EXTENDING PARALLEL AND ADJACENT TO EACH OF SAID PARALLEL MEMBERS; A GUIDE SECURED ALONG SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRETY OF EACH LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID CURTAIN, EACH OF SAID GUIDES BEING PIVOTALLY SECURED TO ITS RESPECTIVE ADJACENT LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE SAID CURTAIN, SAID GUIDES BEING OF A FLEXIBLE SELF-SUSTAINING MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID GUIDES BEING OF A THICKNESS NOT IN EXCESS OF THAT OF SAID CURTAIN, EACH OF SAID GUIDES BEING MOUNTED SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF BEING PIVOTED TO FORM, WITH SAID CURTAIN, THE TOPMOST PORTION OF A T AND BEING CAPABLE OF BEING PIVOTED TO LIE IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE SAID CURTAIN, EACH OF THE SAID GUIDES BEING SPACED FROM THE SAID CURTAIN A DISTANCE AT LEAST AS GREAT AS ONEHALF THE WIDTH OF THE SAID GUIDE, EACH OF SAID GUIDES BEING SECURED TO SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE SAID CURTAIN BY A FLEXIBLE MATERIAL OF A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE SAID CURTAIN; AND A GROOVE IN EACH OF THE SAID PARALLEL MEMBERS ADJACENT THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID CURTAIN, SAID GUIDES BEING MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT THEREIN, EACH GROOVE HAVING A MOUTH SUFFICIENTLY NARROW TO PREVENT SAID GUIDES FROM BEING REMOVED THEREFROM WHEN SAID GUIDE IS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO SAID CURTAIN TO FORM A T THEREWITH. 